St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-04-28
A DAY AHEAD.

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Was ever night so full of hours-were
ever hours so full of dreary minutes,
that seemed to crawl after each other
through its dead, cold gloom
As the early dawn breaks through
the gloom of night, l hear the old cock
in the farm yard give dismal boot
preparatory 10 the first crow of the
new day.
only stop to drink a cup of milk
ere l leave the house, only just in time
to catch the train as it passes our coun-
try station. am in time. Once more
no word only hurry through the
man and wife. All is dream to me.
The only thing that seems real to me
is the shining ring on my finger.
/ look at it in kind of fear as |
draw my old kid glove over it before
leaving the house into which NOrah
Glennie had gone a few minutes ago.
and out of which now a white, startled
woman was issuing-NOrah Mapleson.
''Don't look so distressed, my dar-
ling don't look so, or | cannot bear
itw
| drew deep breath; | stretched
!. l.
for he takes it in his and lays it on his
arm as he hurries me through the
streets back again and in the direction
of the railway station. Once more we
are in the train.
the future now" is all my husband
says, but there is a world of love in
his eyes.
| L., L.,
will be on the ocean, and we will have
parted many months-perhaps years.
He lets me rest quietly in his arms
NOrlington. l get out of the train
alone, as he is going on business two
stations further on then he will come
back for the rest of the week.
"Before you go into the room, wife,
darling, you will take it off P"-and he
touches my finger on which the bright,
new wedding ring glistens.
81 can not" | say shuddering. sit
is unlucky to remove the wedding
ring"
"But, my darling, his sharp eyes
will"
see his face looking at me from the
|
nod reassuringly and he smiles.
About my ring, ! must hide 1T, but
cannot take it off. hurry up into my
contents of an old rusty dressing case
that had been my fathers. Where
can it be? The old garnet ring, with
the queer under groove in it, that
feel sure will let this wedding ring in
|
eyes. All with hot trembling fingers
find it it does exactly as | thought
it would.
With that broad old ring always on
| need fear no discovery. None but
myself would ever know that under it
lay another, the tiny circlet of gold
binding me stronger than iron bands
could do to my "dear love-"
| During the day my uncle is taken
much worse, and he will let no one be
near him but me. William comes in
and Out'of the room, but am tied to
it all the day, till toward evening un-
Gle falls into deep sleep, and L can
safely leave him with his nurse. 1t is
a rambling old house, NorlingtOn farm,
and it has been my only home now fOl
nearly seven years, all of which time
William Mapleson has lived as my un
cle's steward and helped under the
same roof.
1t has been u hard, self-denying life
for him, perhaps; but for me-or rath
er his love for me-he would not bear
it. Till latterly, the hard, old man
had never discovered our love, and
when he had, there was no peace un-
der his roof. He ragged and stOrmed,
declaring that no niece of his should
marry William Mapleson on pain OF
disinheritance.
had been weak and helpless, alone
in the world, not very strong i'll health,
when he had come to my fathers flu
neral and after paying my expenses,
had simply said: "NOw go pack up
your kit. You must come with me to
Norlington farm. Can't say what old
Betty will say, but there's nothing
else as | see to be done. Remember,
tits not lady's life | am offering you
but | suppose you are not too fine IL
lady to know what work means 2"
If had been then, all was corrected
10y now. During these seven years |
have worked hard and lived hard. Yet
there are those who say old Peter
Glennie is worth half million of
money.
My golden week of happiness had
gone, but, although William is gone, |
am strangely content.
Since the morning after the marriage
my uncle has been better and quieter.
Old Mr.. Baines, the lawyer, had been
with him a full hour that morning, and
old Jenkins had been called into his
room to sign his name to some dOcu-
ments, together with the hired nurse.
"Here's a miserable old man." she
said to me that same day. 81 suppose
it's his will we signed. What grudge
he seems to have against marriage.
He growls continually in his sleep
about fools getting married"
''Ah ~ | said, che has married"
"No," she laughed. 81 should not
say any one was the loser by that
either"
He called her at this moment, and
was left alone to Overhear CONVERSE
ton between old Jenkins and Betty,
who, being both deaf, were talking
over the same matter i'll the kitchen.
"Ah, well, Betty, it's hard day for
the farm when William goes away an
how'll the old master do wi new
steward at his tonne of life, L wonder"
ale knows what he is about, never
you fear. DO'ee think for a moment
as how she don't know a letting him
go is the only way o. preventing a
marriage between he and Miss Nora 2
Ha ha ! ha -
As | hear her cunning old laugh at
my expense sit hugging my love to
my heart. Old Betty always owed me
"a grudge for coming to Norlington
farm, although she had been cOmpell-
ed to show me ordinary civility.
How little she knew we ware NOR